Zayn Malik has broken his silence following the tragic passing of Liam Payne at the age of 31. On Thursday, the 31-year-old singer shared a poignant photo of himself and Payne, seemingly cuddling while asleep on a tour bus. "Love you bro," Malik wrote, accompanied by a heart emoji. In a subsequent slide, Malik continued, "Liam, I find myself talking to you out loud, hoping you can hear me. I can't help but feel selfishly that there were so many more conversations we were meant to have."
He added, "I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the toughest times in my life. When I was a homesick 17-year-old, you were always there with a positive outlook and a reassuring smile, letting me know that you were my friend and I was loved." The "PILLOWTALK" singer further reflected, "Even though you were younger, you were always more sensible. You were headstrong, opinionated, and never hesitated to tell people when they were wrong. Although we clashed because of this, I always secretly respected you for it."
Malik went on to commend Payne's musical prowess, calling him "the most qualified in every sense." He continued, "I lost a brother when you left us and can't express what I'd give just to hug you one last time and say goodbye properly, letting you know how much I loved and respected you." Malik concluded his statement by vowing to cherish his memories with Payne. "There are no words to justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated. I hope wherever you are, you're at peace and know how much you're loved."
Payne and Malik first gained fame as members of One Direction, formed alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson on "The X Factor" in 2010. The group released four albums until Malik's departure in March 2015. During an interview that year, Payne commented on Malik's exit: "He had to do what was best for himself. It's fine." He added, "We're just going to continue doing what we're doing. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors."
After Malik left, One Direction released one final album before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016. In 2017, Payne stated that all was "fine and good" with Malik despite the latter's negative comments about the band. "If he feels hurt and scorned, that's his issue," Payne said on "The Dan Wootton Interview" podcast. "It's very sad because One Direction was a wonderful time in all our lives."
Years later, Payne subtly criticized Malik on the "Killing It" podcast, saying, "Zayn makes music, but he doesn't really perform. He had such performance anxiety that he couldn't handle it." However, Payne also recalled watching Malik's "really great" first solo performance after leaving the group. "I think he's just happy," Payne speculated. "He likes making songs in the studio but doesn't want to do anything after that. But he's streaming hugely."
In September 2021, Payne continued the light-hearted roasting on TikTok, poking fun at Malik's departure. Payne could be seen mouthing the words: "Are we absolutely sure what direction we're going?" He wrote on the screen, "POV the meeting after Zayn quit."
Over the years, tensions arose between the band members. Payne's ex-fiancée, Maya Henry, claimed that Malik was the One Direction member who allegedly "threw" her ex "up a wall" during a backstage fight at a concert. In a TikTok earlier this month, Henry responded to a fan's video, saying, "OK, I see this all the time. I've heard this story so many times, and he told me it was Zayn, so."
Payne had revealed in 2022 that he got into a spat with one of his fellow band members on Logan Paul's "Impaulsive" podcast. "There was one moment where there was an argument backstage and one member in particular threw me up a wall," he claimed, without revealing the identity of his bandmate. "So I said to him, 'If you don't remove those hands, there's a high likelihood you'll never use them again.'"
Although Payne did not share what led to their alleged altercation, he noted, "There's many reasons why I dislike Zayn, and there's many reasons why I'll always, always be on his side." He later apologized for the comments, stating, "I wouldn't normally comment on this stuff but when it's your family it's hard to let it slide."
In a July 2023 YouTube video, Payne addressed his "Impaulsive" podcast comments again. "A lot of what I said came from the wrong place," he admitted. "I was so angry at what was going on around me and instead of taking a look inwards I decided to look outwards at everybody else and I just think, yeah, I took it out on everybody else, which is just wrong, really." Payne then addressed Malik by name, adding: "The rest of the boys really stuck by me when I needed them most, they kinda came to the rescue. Even Zayn, as well, which is why I did send him a little thank you online."
In fact, a month earlier, Payne commented on a June 2023 Instagram post that showed Malik teasing new music. "This sounds big already," he wrote, to which Malik responded, "Appreciate it bro, thanks for the love."
Years before Payne's death, he spoke candidly about his time in One Direction on Jessie Ware's podcast "Table Manners" in 2019. Payne said that the boy band, formed during "The X Factor," endured a chaotic schedule dealing with sold-out tours before an album was ever recorded. "There's no stop button," he told Ware. "You've got no control over your life. That's why I lost complete control of everything."
The late star found the split "really scary at first," but happy that it was over. "I needed to stop. It would've killed me," Payne admitted. Payne went on to have a solo career, releasing one album, "LP1," in 2019. He reportedly paused the release of his second solo album shortly before his death. After leaving One Direction, Payne noticed himself struggling to break the habits of partying and over-working that he developed while in the group. The late artist decided, "You're either going to end up a crazy child star who dies at whatever age, or you're going to live life and actually get on with it."
